In Honor of Friends
by Charra Loon
Summary: Hanzo goes with Mei to a bar for St. Patrick's Day where they run into a friend and they talk of memories and accords. Part of Hanmei week, prompt: St. Patrick's Day.


Hanzo groaned at all the green surrounding him. He had no idea why this day was important to Mei, but he came with her to this bar on this holiday for her sake.

"Why do you have to be so grumpy?" Mei asked. "Don't you have friends who are Irish?"

"I do." Hanzo said, remembering the MacLorcan siblings. "But this holiday would not apply to them, _takara_ ; St. Patrick's Day is a Cathloic holiday, yes? Ash and Solas are pagan."

"They're still Irish, though. They're mercenaries, right? That was how you met them."

"Ash is, and I did meet them on a job. Solas is a hacker and her brother, and...and he just came in." Mei looked towards the door and saw a tall man with red hair walk in. He was in jeans and a T-shirt that said "Boink me! I'm Irish!" on the front. He sat in a stool and looked around, looking for possible prospects. It was Snowball, who came with them, who flew straight to Solas as he ordered a pint and made him laugh flying around him.

"Well now, where'd you come from little one?" Solas asked. Hanzo saw Solas look around and smile when he saw them. "Well look what the cat dragged in! Come over an' share a pint!" Hanzo sighed as Mei dragged him to where Solas was.

"Mei, this is Solas." Hanzo said. "Solas, Mei-Ling."

"Hello!" Mei said, shaking Solas's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, lass." Solas said. "Is this yer droid?"

"Yes, this is Snowball."

"Cute bundle. So, what brings ye both here?"

"St. Patrick's Day celebration. We're here for the festivities!"

"Or you're here, lass, and he's just along fer the ride." Mei laughed at that. She glanced at Hanzo and noted he wasn't making any move to separate her from Solas.

"This is new." Mei said. Solas looked at her.

"What is?" Solas asked.

"Usually, Hanzo's giving out glares to whatever man I'm talking to by now, his 'do not touch what is mine' glare if that makes any sense?"

"Aye, it does. Then again, he knows I'm not interested in ye in the slightest. Oh don't get me wrong, yer a grand girl, Mei, but yer man over there is more my type."

"Oh really?" Mei turned to Hanzo who just looked at her confused. "Maybe I shouldn't trust him with you, Hanzo. After all, you ARE a very handsome man and Solas is very charming."

"Now Mei—" Hanzo said, but Mei kept pushing.

"Oh no you don't! What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."

"But he does not poach!"

"Neither does McCree, for example. Yet you glare at him as though he does."

"You are being ridiculous!"

"Not so pleasant when it's the other way around, is it?" Hanzo gaped at her, while Solas laughed at the exchange.

"She's got a point there, boyo." Solas said. "If you're in the right to keep other men away from her, why shouldn't she keep others away from you?"

"You are not helping." Hanzo said. "But I see your point, Mei. Perhaps...perhaps I do get carried away when it comes to your safety."

"You do." Mei said. "Solas, I'm sorry about putting you on the spot like that."

"It's all right, lass." Solas said. "Hanzo's overprotective ta the point ye want ta throttle him at times, aye? No worries, I've two older brothers who are the same way with their wives. They mean well, but there are times it borders on the point of ridiculous."

"I can relate to that, believe me." They talked more, about current events, Mei's research, some of Hanzo's work that he could talk about. Solas even mentioned his sister was at their home village babysitting, which Hanzo found hard to believe. He couldn't picture Ash being in charge of children; on the other hand, she is very fond of her family, and he has seen some of her more...creative works on those who harmed children.

"So, Mei darlin', ye feelin' Irish fer the day?" Solas asked. "Or did ye come here fer a reason?" Mei looked at him, surprised. "Yer face is very expressive, lass—bright an' cheerful, but the eyes hold a twinge of grief in them." Mei nodded and ordered three shots of whiskey, one shot for each.

"A toast, to Ecopoint Antarctica." Mei said, raising her glass. "I...MacReady, one of the team, offered to bring us to a bar on the first St. Patrick's Day we came back..." Except Mei was the only one alive out of the six-person team sent to the Ecopoint, the others having died when their cryo-tubes malfunctioned.

"An' this is in their memory. It's a grand thing." Solas raised his glass. " _Sláinte_."

" _Sláinte._ " Hanzo and Mei raised their own glasses, then drank. Mei almost gagged at the whiskey, while Hanzo was unfazed as he sipped.

"It's meant to be sipped, Mei." Hanzo said, and squeezed her hand in assurance. Mei still had nightmares about the Ecopoint, and Hanzo cursed the idiots in the UN for not following up. Granted, Overwatch did screw up by allowing the team to fall through the cracks as the organization tore itself apart, but those who shut it down should've sent someone to the Ecopoint. That superstorm couldn't have lasted nine years, and there were other research stations. If nothing else, they could've at least sent a salvage crew to bring back the bodies and give their families closure.

"Bureaucratic gits, the lot of them." Solas said. "Arseholes of the highest order. They haven't even torn down the old Watchpoints, an' they should. If nothin' else, then to prevent those from Overwatch who went rogue from usin' the facilities."

"By rogue, you mean Reaper."

"Who else? I hear Eichenwalde is a good place ta start over—it's fortified, surrounded by forest so there's game fer provisions, no one's been there fer years...Winston can rig somethin' up, an' if he needs any help..."

"We will call you. You do know, Solas-san, this could get us all in trouble with the PETRAS Act."

"Feck it an' the horses they rode in on. That idiocy is so vague, they may as well say 'ALL heroes are outlawed!' fer all their talk about forbiddin' Overwatch activities. Me nephews call it _laoch dúnmharú_ , which more or less translates ta 'hero killer'. It's what that stupid act does, kills heroes by makin' them illegal. If they bring it up, I can always say some of their forces are in violation of the act; Overwatch activies are illegal, so the tactic of protectin' their forces is considered an illegal act. Or perhaps people in the streets that do good deeds or people in dangerous jobs who go above an' beyond the call of duty an' are called 'heroes' are in violation of the act—their own fault fer not specifyin' what, exactly, they mean by Overwatch activities."

"Indeed." As they continued drinking, Hanzo recanted his previous thoughts about the holiday—perhaps St. Patrick's Day wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
